Family Time: Dogs need a little more love during mosquito season

Tuesday

Aug 24, 2010 at 12:01 AMAug 24, 2010 at 2:14 AM

Weekly family column, with dog-care tips, a review of “Nanny McPhee Returns” and more.

Tip of the Week

Many people consider their dogs to be part of the family. And with mosquito season in full swing, dog owners should consider the best way to protect dogs against heartworm disease. Mosquito bites may be just a simple nuisance to humans, but they can spread heartworm disease without pet owners knowing, and dogs are most at risk of becoming seriously ill from the disease.

Fortunately, heartworm prevention is simple, cost effective, and the best way to save dogs from the long, difficult and expensive treatment required once infection takes hold. Here are a few ways to keep dogs safe:

- The American Heartworm Society recommends getting your dog tested annually for heartworm. During these visits, talk to your veterinarian about the best method of prevention against the disease.

- Protect your dog with a monthly application of a heartworm preventative medication. Some topicals, like Advantage Multi for Dogs (imidacloprid + moxidectin) Topical Solution, also kill fleas and treat intestinal parasites, such as hookworms, roundworms and whipworms.

- During warm months, keep your dog inside as much as possible during early morning and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

- ARA

Family Screening Room

“Nanny McPhee Returns”

Rated: PG (for rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements)

Length: 109 minutes

Synopsis: Nanny McPhee arrives to help a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war, though she uses her magic to teach the woman's children and their two spoiled cousins five new lessons.

Violence/scary rating: 2.5

Sexual-content rating: 1.5

Profanity rating: 2

Drugs/alcohol rating: 1

Family Time rating: 2. This is a great family film, and adults and kids alike should enjoy this movie.

(Ratings are judged on a five-point scale, with 5 being “bad for kids” and 1 being “fine for kids.”)

Book Report

“Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex,” by Eoin Colfer

Ages: 9-12

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Artemis has committed his entire fortune to a project he believes will save the planet and its inhabitants, both human and fairy. Can it be true? Has goodness taken hold of the world’s greatest teenage criminal mastermind? New York Times best-selling author Eoin Colfer delivers a knockout, fast-paced and hilarious adventure in “The Atlantis Complex,” the seventh book in the blockbuster Artemis Fowl series.

Did You Know

According to a study conducted by the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, smoking in movies has gone done since 2005.

GateHouse News Service

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